FMG Stadium
Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
FMG Stadium, Palmerston North, New Zealand — opened Site originated as the Palmerston North Showgrounds (founded 1886); rebuilt into a modern stadium in 1981 after a 1977 pavilion fire, 11 rugby league games hosted, home of No permanent rugby league tenant; used only for occasional full international Test matches. General home to the Manawatu Turbos (rugby union), Central Pulse (netball) and Manawatu Jets (basketball) in other codes.
Sourcing caveat: This site's own database records 11 rugby league games hosted here, spanning 1958-2017, but only 6 could be independently sourced and dated this round (all 1990-1996, listed above) — attempts to fetch Rugby League Project's own match-by-match results page for this venue were unsuccessful. The identity of the other 5 recorded matches, and whether the 1958/2017 endpoints are accurate, remain an open gap rather than a resolved fact, and should be revisited in a future session with better source access.
Ground facts
| Opened | Site originated as the Palmerston North Showgrounds (founded 1886); rebuilt into a modern stadium in 1981 after a 1977 pavilion fire (Not to be confused with the separate, differently-located FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton — both grounds carried the same insurer's sponsored name at different points, a genuine naming collision. This is the Palmerston North venue, today known as Central Energy Trust Arena.) |
| Home club | No permanent rugby league tenant; used only for occasional full international Test matches. General home to the Manawatu Turbos (rugby union), Central Pulse (netball) and Manawatu Jets (basketball) in other codes |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 11 |
| Top recorded crowd | 19,500 |
| Capacity | 15,000 (main arena), expandable to 20,000 with temporary seating for major events |
| Test matches hosted | 6 |
| Floodlights installed | Not confirmed |
| Surface | Not confirmed |
| First rugby league match | Not confirmed — see caveat below on an unresolved gap in this site's own data |
| Years used | 1958–2017 |
| Location | Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui |
Name history
- Palmerston North Showgrounds — from 1886
- Manawatu Sports Stadium — from a 1981 rebuild
- Arena Manawatu — exact start date not confirmed
- FMG Stadium — sponsored name, ending June 2015 when FMG Insurance did not renew the sponsorship
- Central Energy Trust Arena — current name, adopted after 2015
Rugby league history
A multi-purpose Palmerston North stadium used exclusively for full international rugby league Test matches rather than any club fixtures — six senior internationals (Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France and Papua New Guinea) are independently confirmed here across 1990-1996, a genuinely prestigious run of fixtures for a secondary New Zealand city.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 24 Jun 1990 — Great Britain 11-10 New Zealand
- 12 Jul 1992 — New Zealand 15-14 Great Britain
- 25 Jun 1993 — Australia 16-8 New Zealand
- 16 Jun 1995 — New Zealand 16-16 France
- 11 Oct 1996 — New Zealand 64-0 Papua New Guinea
- 25 Oct 1996 — New Zealand 18-15 Great Britain
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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